Monday, September 19, 2016

LUCIE ARNAZ' SHOW AT FEINSTEIN'S IN SAN FRANCISCO

OK. I KNOW ALL OF YOU KNOW SHE'S NOT ONLY ONE OF MY BEST FRIENDS, BUT SHE'S LIKE A SISTER. SO WHEN I TELL YOU THAT HER PERFORMANCES THIS WEEKEND WERE SOME OF THE MOST EXTRAORDINARY I'VE EVER SEEN FROM ANY ARTIST, YOU MAY THINK I'M PREJUDICED.

INSTEAD, READ THE WORDS OF VANITY FAIR'S KEVIN SESSUMS WHO WAS THERE, TOO:

I just got in from seeing my Facebook friend Lucie Arnaz Luckinbill's remarkable cabaret performance at Feinstein's at the Nikko.
She's here in San Francisco for one more night - Saturday the 17th.
If you can get a ticket, don't miss her. And if she's appearing in one
of your cities out there in the coming months, trust me: see this act.
Lucie is at the top of her game. Funny. Moving. In great voice. And
downright sexy. She's a real pro - accompanied by her longtime musical director Ron Abel, a real pro himself at the top of his own game.

Lucie has the comic timing of her mother but what surprised me was the
depth of her acting in some of the love songs that filled her set.
There were times, in her grittier moments when she was digging deep and
belting with a kind of gorgeous belligerence, that she even reminded me
of Lena Horne in the way that Horne could rekindle a chorus and set both
it and herself free as she pushed it out the door.
My favorite
numbers were Cole Porter's "It's All Right with Me" and Johnny
Mercer's "Something's Got to Give" arranged together by Billy Stritch
as well as Porter's "Just One of Those Things" in an arrangement by
Marvin Hamlisch. And I loved when she sang a love ballad from Li'l
Abner to her husband Larry Luckinbill who was in the audience this
evening. Theirs is one of the great love stories in show business. And
this is one of show biz's great cabaret acts by a performer who has
become one of its great cabaret artists.

THANK YOU, KEVIN FOR YOUR INSIGHT AND TRUTH.Here's what's so special about Lucie:--She's a real performer; an entertainer who can go on a stage and sing, dance, tell stories, make you laugh, make you cry--ALL BY HERSELF (and with the wonderful Ron Abel on piano.) THAT'S the art and skill of show business. And, it's a talent you are born with. These kinds of talents and instincts CANNOT be taught.And, of course, there was a "Lucie/Sue Caper."At a certain portion in her show, Lucie starts confiding in the audience about some of her relationships. It's kind of like talking to a pal over a drink. As a joke, I sat at a table ON STAGE, as if I were a lucky audience member who somehow got the best table in the house. She actually came over, sat down and just started dishing with me. I must say, we pulled it off without cracking up. What fun! And, she picked up my option.

Look how gorgeous Kate Luckinbill Conner is! Lucie and Larry's daughter has been married all of three months!!!

With the brilliant Ron Abel

AND, THINKING AHEAD, SAVE APRIL 6, 2017 TO GO SEE LUCIE WITH THE DESERT SYMPHONY AT THE MCCALLUM THEATRE IN PALM DESERT.

AS FOR SAN FRANCISCO....when I was up there for Kim Novak's birthday last February, I didn't get much of a chance to play around Union Square. This time the hotel was right there, so it was easy. I've been coming to San Francisco since I was under six months old. My grandparents lived there until they moved to LA. My husband lived there, and we had a house in Mill Valley.I get upset when I see traditions uprooted. Case in point--Shreve & Co. This jewelry and fine china and crYstal store, has been around since the late 1800s. In 1906, they moved to the location on Post St.

Shreve interior as it has looked since the 1900s.

Building Shreve on Post

Well, people, I don't know what happened, but I guess Shreve sold the building at some point, and now the landlord raised the rent so high, that they had to move out last year. AND HARRY WINSTON (I guess they had money to burn) is moving in. You can imagine how I feel about that. I even bought my wedding china there at Shreve.

Right now. At least they didn't obliterate the original stone carving of the name above the door.

Shreve is currently still on Post, renting a temporary space. They are building out another space of several floors, taking over another whole building, and it will be ready, hopefully, by the holidays.I also hadn't been in Gump's for a few years. Yes, they've moved, too, to a smaller space. Sad, but I get it. Their merchandise is still as spectacular as it always was.

Daum

Lalique bird lamp

Gigantic mosaic apple

And, yes, we did eat. We went to R &G Lounge in Chinatown. It is very much New York chinese, like Shun Lee West, and it's fabulous....as you can see.